Sebastien lacavalerie



(No Model.)

S. LACAVALERIE.

MARINE VESSEL.

A T'ORNEYS.

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NITED STATES SEBASTIEN LACAVALERIE, OF CARCAS, VENEZUELA.

MARINE VESSEL.

SPECIFICATION forming'part of Letters Patent No. 516,395, dated March13, 1894. v

Application tiled April 26, 1893. Serial No. 471,849. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, SEBASTIEN LACAVALE- RIE, of Caracas, Venezuela,South America, have invented a new and Improved Marine Vessel, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in marine vessels, and the objectof my invention is to produce a novel marine vessel of very simpleconstruction, which is thoroughly sea-worthy and practically unsinkable,and

also and chiefly, to produce avessel which is capable f maintaining anextraordinarily high rate of speed.

A further object of the invention is to produce a Vessel which may, ifdesired, be propelled beneath the surface of the water, and to constructand arrange the vessel so that it may be used advantageously as atorpedo boat. t

To these ends, my invention consists of a vessel, the construction ofwhich will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of avessel ernbodying my invention. Fig. 2is a longitudinal section of the vessel. Fig. 3 is a cross section onthe line 3 3 in Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4is a cross section on the line 4--4 in Fig. 2, looking in the directionof the arrows. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail longitudinal section of theconnections between the forward portion of the revoluble body and thestationary portion of the body; and Fig. 6 is a similar detail sectionof the connections between the after portions of the stationary body andthe revoluble shell 0r hull.

The vessel is of a general cigar shape, and is of the greatest diameternear the bow.

- has a cone-shaped bow 10, and a similarly shaped stern 11, but the bowcone is larger than the stern cone, and is intended to provide aconvenient storage space for a storage battery 12, which furnishes powerto propel the vessel as hereinafter described, but the vessel may bepropelled by steam or other power without departing'from the principleof my invention. The conical bow and stern portion of the vessel areconnected by a depressed keel 13, at the rear end of which is the usualrudder 14. On the bow cone 10, at the top, is an upwardly-extendingportion 15, having openings or portsv 16 and 17 therein, which areadapted to admit air to the interior of the vessel, and which may beclosed by suitable closures, any convenient closures being provided. Thestern cone 11 has also an upwardly-projecting portion 18, which` hasports or openings 19 'and 20 in front and on the sides, and the upperportion of this upward1yextending projection is provided with a floor21, on which the steering gear 22 is located, and this part of thevessel serves -as a pilot house. The steering gear may be of any usualkind. The bow cone is closed at its rear end by a transverse partition23, which is water-tight, and aA hollow tube or shaft 24 extends fromthis partition to a partition 25 in the inner stationary body 26 lof thevessel, and the rear end of` this body is connected in a similar waywith the cone 11, a hollowshaft or tube 27 connecting the body with theforward partition 28 of the rear cone. These hollow shafts 24 and 27provide for a free circulation of air, which enters through the ports 16and 17, passes downward and inward through the interior of the cone 10and shaft 24and then passes outward and upward through the shaft 27 tothe pilot house and the ports 19 and 20, or the air may pass in thereverse direction according to circumstances. The stationary body 26 isincased by a revoluble shell or hull 29, which is provided withV longspiral screwblades 30, arranged parallel with each other and extendingthe entire length of the hull, and the vessel is propelled by rotatingthis outer shell, and the screw blades acting on the water, move thevessel forward or backward according to the direction in which the shellis turned. It will be seen that this screw shell has an enormous grip onthe water, and when sufficient power is provided to turn it, it causesthe vessel to be moved with great rapidity and this result is alsofacilitated by the peculiar shape of the boat. The shell 29 hasinwardly-extending end walls 3l, whichare parallel with the partitions23 and IOO 28 of the bow and stern cones, and these end walls arejournaled on the shafts 24 and 27. The forward wall 3l is rigidlysecured to a sleeve 32, which turns on the shaft 24:, and which isgeared to an electric motor 34 which is arranged preferably forward ofthe partition 25, and the space forward of this partition constitutes anengine room. The motor 34 may be of any suitable construction and it isconnected in the usual way with the storage battery 12, but if desired,other motive power may be used instead of the electric motor.

It will be observed that the revolution of the sleeve 32 turns the screwshell 29 and propels the vessel. Access is had to the interior of thevessel through manholes 35 in the outer shell 29 and in the top of thebody 26, `and it will be of course understood that the outer manholemust be made to register with the inner one to provide means for ingressand egress. The manholes may be closed by any usual closure plates.

The conical shape of the bow and stern of the v esselenables it to bepropelled through the water with great speed as it offers littleresistance to the water, and the screw shell, extending as it doesnearly the entire length of the vessel, has a great bearing surface onthe water, and the only thing necessary then to produce a tremendoushigh rate of speed, is to provide sufcient power to turn the shell. Itwill be understood that by closing the air ports and providing asuitable supply of compressed air, the vessel maybe sunk beneath thewater and successfully operated.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. A marine vessel, comprising conical bow and sternportions connected by a depressed keel, a stationary body arrangedbetween these portions, and a revolving screw shell incasing the body,substantially as specified.

2. A marine vessel, comprising conical bow and stern portions connectedby a depressed keel, and provided with upwardly-extending parts orhousings having air inlets and outlets therein, a stationary bodysuspended between the bow and stern and in connection therewith, and arevoluble screw shell incasing the body and turning between the bow andstern, substantially as specified.

3. A marine vessel, comprising conical bow and stern portions havingupwardly-extending parts or housings with suitable ports therein, adepressed keel connecting the bow and stern portions of the vessel,astationary body suspended between these bow and stern portions, hollowshafts connecting the conical parts of the Vessel with the body andforming the supports of the body, and a revoluble screw shell incasingthe body and journaled on the shafts, substantially as specified.

SEBASTIEN LACAVALERIE. Witnesses:

WARREN B. HU'rcI-uNsoN, C. SEDGwIcK.

